Surrey Welfare Rights Unit

Who is the course for?

This course is for experienced generalist advisers and advice session supervisors, who have a good basic knowledge of housing. This course is not for trainee advisers or housing specialists.

You will have attended the Housing Foundation Course (HFC), or gained the learning objectives for HFC in some other way, and you will have recent experience of housing enquiries.

You may also have attended the Advising on possession proceedings for rented housing and/or the Homelessness advice next steps course, or achieved the learning objectives for these courses in some other way.

To check whether this course is the right level for you answer the following questions:

1. What are the five tests of homelessness?
2. What is an s.21 notice and when can it be used? What type of landlord can use it?
3. List three types of tenancies that the landlord has to prove a ground to get a possession order?
4. What housing status can the accelerated possession process be used for?

(You can check your answers on AdviserNet or your agency’s equivalent)

If you answered all the questions correctly this is the right course for you. If not, it may be more appropriate for you to attend a refresher first.

Course Aims:

The aim of this course is to update you on housing changes over the last year. The course will cover:

• General housing law update, including changes to section 21 possession notices,
• deposits update, human rights and public law possession action defences.
• Changes in homelessness legislation and case law developments.
• Allocations exclusion rules following Localism Act and recent case law.
• A discussion of hot topics in housing, for example allocations, how localism has taken effect in your area, housing impact of welfare reform

Pre course work

In preparation for the course please:

1. Contact your local authority environmental health department and find out if there are selective licensing schemes in operation in your area.
2. Bring a copy of your local authority allocations policy with you on the day.